Duitskampweg 9-Trooper LESLIE PERCY GOULDING

I have been contacted by Russell Gore who has asked me to post this.

Tpr Les Goulding

Hi Mitch, just stumbled across this site by chance and see that my Uncle Les in commemorated on your Roll of Honour, I don’t really know a lot about Les, I know that he was killed in the Wolfheze Ambush, but I am not sure what was his actual cause of Death..Dicky Minns who was there at the time assured me that Les was KIA instantly by an MG burst to his Chest, however I have come across mention that the men KIA in the ambush may have also been attacked with Flamethrowers..and lastly I read that when the bodies of the men KIA in the ambush were recovered, that they had been stripped of all their Kit and clothing by the Germans. Any information that you can supply would be very greatly appreciated. I am going back to Arnhem in September with a veteran of the Battle, it will be my 4th visit. If I can take any photos for you please do not hesitate to ask.
Kind Regards Russell.

Trooper Leslie Goulding was my Uncle. He was originally buried at No.9 Duitskampfweg. The Family who owned the House kept the Recce Corps Lads Graves well tended until the CWGC uplifted and concentrated all isolated Graves to the Oosterbeeke War Cemetery. The Son (John) of the Family who tended Leslie and his comrades Graves would often visit our Family here in Carshalton until well into the late 50s. No.9 Duitskampfweg is still known to the local Dutch People as "The Dressing Station" and the House now bears this Name.

181 A/L Fld AMBULANCE, RAMC flew into Holland on Sunday, September 17th 1944 in 7 Horsa gliders, landing on LZ "S", a potato field some miles west of Arnhem, at around 1 p.m.

They immediately set up their first dressing station beside the LZ, in some houses beside a road called Duitsekampweg, in Wolfheze.This was to have been a short stay, before moving on to their objective, the Arnhem Municipal Hospital. The dressing station was fully running by 4.30 p.m., and the surgical teams performed their first operation an hour later, with another 7 following that night from the 60-odd casualties admitted.

Among these casualties was Tpr Les Goulding who was with C Troop 1st Air Landing Squadron Reconnaissance Corps who also landed on Sunday, September 17th 1944

They were ambushed by SS Krafft Battalion

In his after action report, Krafft said: “From maps found on a captured British DR, we discover that the enemy have two main lines of advance. One along the railway cutting and one in the direction of Hotel Wolfheze to the NW of Oosterbeek. To be forewarned is to be forearmed”. By 1530 hrs, only 2 hours from the landings and with this information at hand, Krafft had deployed all of his Battalion (including the 9th Company just arrived from Arnhem) in a defensive line that blocked two of the three approaches planned by the British 1st Airborne Division. The first part of the defensive line to be bumped by the British was North of the railway cutting held by ‘Platoon Wiegand‘. At 1540, Lt Bucknall’s C Troop of the Reconnaissance Squadron has crossed the level crossing and turned right and drove down the road that ran parallel to the Railway line. The leading section was ambushed by well sited German positions from the embankment and aside the track.


From C Troop 1st Air Landing Squadron War Diary

17th September 1944
Place: Arnhem

1335 - Gliders down, one badly crash landed.

1410 - Parachute personnel jump.

1500 - Troop under command of Capt Hay move to R.V.

1540 - Under command of the C.O., the Troop lead the way on the route chosen by the Squadron to ARNHEM.

1550 - Enemy M.G. and mortar fire comes from area north of WOLFHEZE station. Troops dismount and fans out to engage the enemy posts. Lieut BUCKNALL and his section are pinned down by fire. Lieut FOULKES and BOWLES advance with their sections under cover of slight smoke screen with the intention of relieving the hard pressed section with Lieut BUCKNALL. They came under heavy fire and have to give up the attempt. Capt SWINSCOW R.A.M.C. goes forward under heavy fire to succour wounded men. Whilst he is attending to the men the Germans fire upon and kill the patient. He has to withdraw still under fire. Lieut BUCKNALL and his section killed.

C Troop went in as 3 sections 7, 8, and 9. O.C, C Troop, was captain J.A Hay, 7 section were under LT. R.C Foulkes, 8 section LT.P.L Bucknall K.I.A,17.9.44 and 9 section C.B Bowles.12 members of C Troop were K.I.A.
By Tuesday 19th September late afternoon C troop basically ceased to exist and were merged with HQ Troop.

Photos attached are from Russell


Trooper RONALD BRUMWELL
14286483- General Service Corps - Found Body in the garden of Duitsekampweg 9, Jeep ambushed
Who died age 20 on 17 September 1944
Son of Alfred James Brumwell and Lydia Brumwell, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 8.

Lieutenant PETER LACEY BUCKNALL
237712 - General Service Corps - Found Body in the garden of Duitsekampweg 9, Jeep ambushed
Who died age 23 on 17 September 1944
Son of Jack H. and Grace M. Bucknall, of Birmingham.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 5.

Trooper WILLIAM MCKINLAY EDMOND
9 Section, C troop
3060103- Royal Scots - KIA Found Body in garden of Duitsekampweg 9
Who died age 27 on 17 September 1944
Son of William and Joanna M. S. A. Edmond, of Musselburgh, Midlothian; husband of Janet L. A. Edmond, of Musselburgh.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 9.

Trooper EDWARD JAMES GORRINGE
'C Troop'
5727051- Dorsetshire Regt - Found Body in garden Duitsekampweg 9 Jeep ambushed
Who died age 22 on 17 September 1944
Listed as missing until 1987
Son of William John and Mary Elizabeth Gorringe, of Cattistock, Dorsetshire.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 7.

Trooper LESLIE PERCY GOULDING
6853872- King's Royal Rifle Corps - Found Body in garden Duitsekampweg 9 Jeep ambushed
MG burst to Chest
Who died age 21on 17 September 1944
Son of Joseph George and Alice Elizabeth Goulding, of Carshalton, Surrey.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 6.

Lance Serjeant THOMAS McGREGOR
14363788- General Service Corps - Found Body in garden Duitskampweg 9 Ambushed
Who died age 20 on 17 September 1944
Son of Norman Thorburn McGregor, and of Annie Blyth McGregor, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire.
ARNHEM OOSTERBEEK WAR CEMETERY 16. B. 10.







Cheers
Paul

 

Not sure if this is of much use but I have a "close up" pic of the gate of No.9 and a "now" shot of a famous (posed) pic of members of 1st Recce Squadron which was taken outside the house on Monday 18th Sept 1944 (courtesy of TomTAS ).

All the best............

 

Paul

this gate is new, so is parts of the house, it was renovated a couple of years ago, I visit the house together with Cor Janse (Blik omhoog) about 10/15 years ago, whilst other owners then now showed us around, it then not sure now still had the orginal garden doors as on the photographs whilst a wounded man is carried in on a stretcher.

 

The flamethrowers story is not correct, one or two of them had fosforbombs with them which probably lighted when they were fired on, the germans fired on them from the culvert, they were warned by gliderpilots, but probably through the speed, and other circumstances did not get or understand these signals and drove through the GP lines and in to the ambush

 

Paul

this gate is new, so is parts of the house, it was renovated a couple of years ago, I visit the house together with Cor Janse (Blik omhoog) about 10/15 years ago, whilst other owners then now showed us around, it then not sure now still had the orginal garden doors as on the photographs whilst a wounded man is carried in on a stretcher.

I know the pics you're reffering to Philip. Wasn't this entrance on the side of the house, not the front?

 

Yes that's the one, made a photograph of it, pitty enough no digital then

 

I have Corresponded with Trooper Dickie Minns,and he did mention that he and members of the Squadron were wearing an early type of persomal Body Armour that had been issued to them.

 

Tragic circumstances, however an excellent post, full of information to read.

Regards
Tom

 

Thats correct, spoke Dicky at his house many years ago, he also appears in the Video Remember Arnhem, he goes "back" with another Recce vet, I think one of the first reenactors in this video.

 

I have Corresponded with Trooper Dickie Minns,and he did mention that he and members of the Squadron were wearing an early type of persomal Body Armour that had been issued to them.

Russell,

I think this is the body armour Dickie may have been reffering to. In the backgound of the pic it is being worn by a Glider Pilot whilst he guards some German POW's somewhere near the Hartenstein Hotel.

All the best...

 

I would just like to thank Mitch for starting this thread off,and for posting the Photos.Leslies Mother never ever fully recovered from the shock of losing Leslie.My Mothers youngest Sister Named her First Born Son Leslie in Memory of Les.

 

hhhm and where did we have seen the SS man in camouflage before?

 

hhhm and where did we have seen the SS man in camouflage before?


Philip, I'll email you as I don't want to take this thread too far off track .......

 

received and answered

 

From Only the Enemy in Front by Richard Doherty

Someone called out the Reconnaissance Corps battle cry of 'Bash on Recce' as the jeeps raced for their objective following the standard leapfrogging operational practice. But, alongside the railway line, near Wolfheze junction, Lieutenant Peter Bucknall's 8 Section drove into an ambush laid by 16th SS Panzer Grenadier and Depot Battalion. Arthur Barlow was lucky to survive the ambush: as Bucknall's wireless operator he should have been in the leading jeep but the first jeep to arrive at the rendezvous was the No 2 vehicle which had no wireless:

So keen was Lieut Bucknall to get on his way to the bridge after the long delay that I was instructed to wait for the wireless jeep and to catch up with him as soon as possible.

He went off with Troopers Goulding, Brumwell and Gorringe, Ted Gorringe having taken my place on the jeep. This last minute changeover of a crew member was later to save my life.

As Lieut Bucknall's jeep disappeared round a bend in the road the No 1 jeep with the wireless set arrived. The crew now comprising Sgt McGregor, L/Cpl Thomas and Troopers Minns, Hasler, Pierce and myself clambered aboard and made off in the direction Bucknall had taken. After a short while we left the main road at Wolfheze railway crossing and were travelling on a rough road parallel to the railway embankment when heavy firing was heard up ahead of us. At the same time we were fired on from the front up the road and on the right from the top of the railway embankment. Reg Hasler was driving and immediately stopped the jeep which had taken a direct burst of machine-gun fire across the front radiator.3

Sergeant Tom McGregor ordered his crew to dismount and take up firing positions. But it was an uneven struggle: McGregor was killed and the others wounded and forced to surrender. (Arthur Barlow was struck by one round in the thigh while another bent the cocking handle of his Sten which he had been holding to his shoulder.) Later, the bodies of Bucknell and his crew were found. It was believed in the squadron that, having surrendered, they had been shot in the back by SS as their bodies with all equipment removed, were found in a straight line, each about a yard apart.


However, in his book, Remember Arnhem, John Fairley suggests that Bucknall's jeep was traveling so fast that it overshot the ambush point and the Germans then fired from behind: the jeep was destroyed, possibly as a result of the fuel tank igniting and exploding. The removal of equipment from the bodies would have been in character for the SS officer commanding the ambush as it would have assisted an intelligence assessment of the British force. Certainly, the others of Bucknall's section who were captured were treated well and, although at a later stage in the battle some SS did carry out a cold-blooded atrocity against Gough's men, in the case of Bucknall's section the evidence remains inconclusive.


Cheers
Paul

 

Another pic showing Cpl Ron Mills RAMC paying his respects at the field grave of Tpr Edmond.

 

Attached are 5 of the 6 men who were originally interred at Duitskampweg 9. [FONT=&quot]Lance Serjeant THOMAS McGREGOR is missing[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thomas McGregor lies buried at Oosterbeek at 16.B.10



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I have a copy of a letter written by Barlow to the Casualty Enquiry Branch in August 1945 in which he described how he was a member of this section but was transferred to another jeep just before they set off. Not knowing of this change Lt Wadsworth wrote to his wife advising her that he was presumed killed with the others.

John

 

because he left his battledress on the jeep, the same happened with a guy of 250 Company, who battlesdress with Army Paybook was found on another men of 250 Company.

 

Hi,

I am a serving soldier, my unit is conducting a study day of various parts of the Arnhem operation. My "stand" is the ambush upon the Recce Sqn at the "culvert". I will be doing my presetation at the exact spot of the ambush, if anyone has more info / photos I would be very grateful of the help.

Thanks